Charging Congress with being soft on "foreigners" accused of committing crimes in India, BJP today demanded an impartial probe into the circumstances which led to the "escape" of then Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson from the country after the Bhopal tragedy.

"BJP demands an impartial probe into the circumstances which led to the escape of Anderson...such a major step to allow him to leave the country could not have been taken without the consent of late Rajiv Gandhi," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

He said as Anderson reached Delhi on a Madhya Pradesh government aircraft, then state chief minister Arjun Singh too "cannot escape the responsibility".

"A state government plane cannot carry a passenger without the permission of the CM and as per rules, a minister or a Chief Secretary has to be on board when the aircraft is in use," he said adding that the person who had accompanied the Union Carbide chief should be named.

The BJP MP said the then central government led by late Rajiv Gandhi and the then Madhya Pradesh government of Arjun Singh "are responsible for the discouraging court verdict on Bhopal gas tragedy.

"It is now clear that the two Congress governments were helping the accused than helping the victims of the incident and (this) has exposed its anti-people policies. We demand that Congress seeks an apology from the country for allowing Anderson to escape".

Comparing the Bhopal gas tragedy with the Bofors case, Javadekar alleged that like Bofors case accused Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Centre gave a "safe passage" to Anderson.

"The Sonia Gandhi-led Congress is soft on foreigners who commit crimes in India," he added.

He said India should mount fresh pressure on the United States to extradite Anderson. "This time we should present our case with a stronger political will," he said.

The BJP also questioned the reason for agreeing for a USD 300 million compensation in an out-of-court settlement when initially the central government had demanded USD two billion as compensation.

"Despite the court verdict, the US-based company has refused to pay compensation. What steps are the government taking?" he asked.

Javadekar also claimed Union Minister Kamal Nath had supported investment bid by Dow Chemicals in India and wanted to know why he did so. Dow now owns Union Carbide.

The BJP MP denied claims that the party had accepted Rs one lakh as donation from Dow Chemicals which owns Union Carbide. "We did not accept the money...it was returned. The matter was addressed in yesterday's briefing too," he said when it was pointed out that an RTI reply has revealed that BJP had accepted donation from the company.